Two-part connector for fluid carrying conduits

ABSTRACT

A two-part connector ( 1 ) is provided for use in connecting and disconnecting fluid carrying conduits. The connector comprises lower and upper parts ( 2, 3 ) each having four fluid carrying duct ( 15 ) therethrough, and a valve member ( 17 ) for each duct. Each duct in the lower part ( 2 ) is aligned with its respective duct in the upper part ( 3 ) when the two connector parts are connected together. The connector has clamps ( 24 ) for retaining the lower and upper parts ( 2, 3 ) together in sealing engagement. The clamps are mounted on the upper connector part ( 3 ) and are pivotable thereabout. Hydraulic pistons are used to move the clamps, the clamps being located in a first position pivoted away from the connector whilst the lower and upper parts ( 2, 3 ) are being aligned relative to each other. The pistons are operable to pivot the clamps to a second position adjacent the connector and then to cause the clamps to move to a third position so as to engage the lower part ( 2 ) so that the two parts are clamped together in sealing engagement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a connector for use in connecting anddisconnecting fluid carrying conduits. The connector is particularlysuitable for use in subsea locations where it is necessary to connectand disconnect oil and/or gas carrying conduits to and from subseaproduction modules and pipelines although this subsea use of theconnector is preferred rather than essential as the connector canequally well be used in a land or a platform based application.

A known connector for use in connecting and disconnecting fluid carryingconduits is described in GB-A-2261271. This connector is a two-partconnector comprising an upper part and a lower part each having aplurality of fluid carrying bores therethrough. Each bore has a valvemember which either permits or prevents flow through the bore. The upperpart is lowered onto the lower part and is then rotated relative to thelower part so that the bores of the two parts are aligned. The connectoralso has clamping means that include a plurality of elongate tensioningmembers which are axially extended and locked in their extended positionin order to clamp the upper and the lower parts together. This connectorrequires three separate sets of hydraulics for respectively lowering theupper part into position, turning the upper part in relation to thelower part and stretching the bars. Each set of hydraulics comprises acomplex arrangement of components including valves, seals and stabconnectors. Thus, having several sets of hydraulics may require at leastpart of the hydraulics to be often repaired thus affecting the operationof the underwater system that the two-part connector is a part of.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least one ormore of the disadvantages associated with such prior art connectors.

According to the present invention there is provided a two-partconnector for use in connecting and disconnecting fluid carryingconduits comprising first and second connector parts each having atleast one fluid carrying duct therethrough, and a valve member for eachduct, the or each duct in the first connector part being aligned withthe or each duct in the second connector part when the two connectorparts are connected together, and releasable clamping means to retainthe two connector parts together in sealing engagement, said clampingmeans being mounted on the second connector part and including actuatingmeans, characterised by said clamping means including a plurality ofclamping members pivotable relative to the connector and the actuatingmeans operable to move said clamping members, said clamping membersbeing located in a first position pivoted away from said connectorwhilst the two connector parts are being aligned relative to each other,and said actuating means being operable to pivot said clamping membersto a second position adjacent said connector and then to cause theclamping members to move to a third position so as to engage the firstconnector part so that the two parts are clamped together in sealingengagement.

In one embodiment, each clamping member comprises first and secondcomponents joined together by at least one elongate member, the firstcomponent being pivotally connected to the second connector part and thesecond component being adapted to engage the first connector part so asto clamp the connector parts together.

Each elongate member may comprise a tie bar adapted to effect theclamping action by over-centering of a toggle joint mechanism when theclamping members are in the third position.

Preferably, the actuating means is hydraulically operated. The actuatingmeans may comprise a plurality of piston cylinders in which at least onepiston cylinder, by extending or retracting a piston rod, causes atleast one clamping member to be moved between the first, second andthird positions.

The first component may comprise the toggle joint mechanism. The togglejoint mechanism may include at least one first arm member pivotallyconnected to the second connector part and to the actuating means and atleast one second arm member pivotally connected to the actuating meansand to the elongate member. The first component may include engagementmeans pivotally connected to the actuating means and to the secondconnector part, the engagement means adapted to engage the secondconnector part to prevent pivoting of the clamping member when theclamping member is moved between said second and third positions. Thefirst arm member may include an engagement surface which engages thesecond connector part so as to prevent pivoting of the first arm memberrelative to the second connector part when the clamping member pivotsbetween said first and second positions and which disengages from thesecond connector part so as to enable pivoting of the first arm memberrelative to the second connector part when the clamping member movesbetween said second and third positions.

The first and second connector parts of the connector may each have amating surface and the connector may include at least one jacking pinwhich the actuating means is adapted to act on, the actuating meansenabling the or each jacking pin to be extended or retracted through themating surface from one of said connector parts and the pins beingadapted to make contact with the mating surface of the other of saidconnector parts.

Preferably the connector includes alignment means for aligning the firstand second connector parts as they engage each other.

The connector may include a plurality of location pins, each pinextending from the mating surface from one of said connector parts andbeing adapted to be received in a receiving hole in the mating surfaceof the other of said connector parts. Alternatively, the connector mayinclude a plurality of protrusions, each protrusion extending from acorner of the mating surface from one of said connector parts and beingadapted to be received in a recessed corner of the mating surface of theother of said connector parts. Where the mating surfaces of theconnector parts are rectangular, at least one pair of opposite cornersof the mating surfaces has said protusions and recessed corners.

Only one set of hydraulics is required to operate the two-part connectorand so significantly reduce the frequency of the hydraulics beingrepaired. The hydraulically operated arrangement is lighter and morecompact than known hydraulically operated two-part connectors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood,reference will now be made, by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of part of a subsea system including atwo-part connector according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the two-part connector;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken along lines 3—3 and lines 4—4respectively of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are isometric views of a toggle joint mechanism formingpart of the two-part connector;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7—7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a piston arrangement forming part of thetoggle joint mechanism;

FIGS. 9 to 16 are schematic views of the installation and clamping ofthe upper part of the two-part connector to the lower part of thetwo-part connector, wherein FIGS. 10, 12, 14 and 16 are details of FIGS.9, 11, 13 and 15 respectively; and

FIG. 17 is an isometric view of modified upper and lower manifold blocksforming part of the two-part connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, the two-part connectorfor use in connecting and disconnecting fluid carrying conduitscomprises a lower part 2 and an upper part 3. The lower part 2 is shownas part of a docking unit 68 which is locked onto a support frame 4which is essentially of a structual framework construction and issecured to the seabed. The upper part 3 is shown as part of aretrievable substantially autonomous module 5 which is shown beinglowered into the frame 4.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the lower part 2 of the connector 1 comprisesa lower manifold block 6, which is square in plan, and which isconnected to a pedestal 7 via a plate 8. The pedestal 7 comprises fourL-shaped members 9, one for each side of the block 6. The top of theupstanding part 10 of each L-shaped member is integrally attached to thebase of the plate 8 and the outward projecting feet 11 of the L-shapedmembers are attached to the support frame 4 (see FIG. 1). Each side 12of the plate 8 has a pair of tongues 13 which project beyond themanifold block 6 and the upstanding parts 10 of the L-shaped members.

The lower manifold block 6 has four main bores or ducts 15 which extendvertically through the manifold block, the ducts forming the corners ofa square in plan. Each pair of main ducts 15 is intersected by a crossbore 16 which extends horizontally through the manifold block and hasseals 19 at opposite ends. At each intersection of the cross bore with amain duct there is a rotatable valve member 17 in the form of a spindleextending normally through each main duct. Each spindle has athrough-bore 18 which can be aligned with the main duct to permit fluidflow therethrough. Each spindle valve 17 is rotatable about itslongitudinal axis to rotate its through-bores through 90° to a secondposition in which the body of the spindle valve obturates the duct andprevents fluid flow therethrough. Each spindle valve is adapted to beoperated by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which accesses the spindlevalve from outside the connector 1 via the appropriate cross bore 16 andthe seal 19.

The base of the ducts 15 are provided with flange connections 20 in theplate 8 for connection to pipelines from wells (not shown). The lowermanifold block 6 also has two additional vertical bores 21 which areeach located close to opposite sides of the block and are each equaldistance from the other two sides of the block.

The upper part 3 comprises an upper manifold block 22, a top plate 23attached to the top of the upper manifold block and mating clamps 24wherein each mating clamp is attached to one side of the top plate.

The upper manifold block 22 is similar to the lower manifold block 6 andalso has four vertical ducts 15, each with a rotatable valve member 17.The vertical ducts of the upper manifold block are arranged so that theyare aligned and form sealed connections with the vertical ducts of thelower manifold block when the upper part 3 is installed on the lowerpart 2. The upper manifold block 22 also has two location pins 25 whichextend below the base of the upper manifold block. Each location pin iscylindrical in shape and has a cone end portion 26 at its base. Eachlocation pin is held in a vertical bore 27 in the upper manifold blockwherein a flange 28 at the top of the pin and part way down the pin arereceived by recesses 29 in the bore 27. The pins are located so thatthey are received by the location bores 21 in the lower manifold block 6when the upper part 3 is installed on the lower part 2. The uppermanifold block 22 also has eight more vertical through bores 30 with apair of bores located close to each side of the block and each of thesebores 30 is adapted to hold a jacking pin 31. Each jacking pin 31 iscylindrical in shape and is of slightly longer length than the depth ofthe upper manifold block 22. The pin has a head 32 which is of largerdiameter than the rest of the pin. This head is adapted to be receivedinto a recess 33 at the top of each bore 30 and into a hole 34 in thetop plate 23 of the same diameter as the recess 33.

The top surface of the top plate 23 is recessed in each corner and eachrecessed corner 35 contains two of the jack head holes 34 (one hole foreach side of the top plate). Extending from each side 36 of the topplate are a pair of protrusions 37 for holding a pivot pin 38 to which atoggle joint mechanism 39 of the mating clamp 24 is connected.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, the toggle joint mechanism 39 includes a pairof end brackets 40 for holding the ends of the pivot pin 38. Each endbracket 40 has a downward protruding portion 41 extending from onecorner of the main body portion of the bracket and it is these portionswhich hold the ends of the pivot pin 38. A nut 43 connects a retainer 44to each end of the pivot pin 38 and to an outer side of each end bracket40 so as to retain the brackets on the ends of the pivot pins. The endbrackets 40 also hold the ends of a rod end pin 45 which is parallel tothe pivot pin 38 but is located in an opposite corner of the bracketfrom the corner containing the end of the pivot pin. Each end bracket 40has a recess 46 for holding a retainer 44 and a nut 43 which retain therod end pin 45 between the brackets. A link member 47 is located midwaybetween the end brackets 40 through which both the pivot pin 38 and therod end pin 45 extend. Between the link member 47 and each end bracket40 are a pair of bottom toggle arms 48 through which the pivot pin 38extends, each toggle arm 48 having a side edge 49 or engagement surfaceso shaped for engaging a side edge 36 of the top plate 23 (see FIG. 3).Each pair of bottom toggle arms 48 is connected to a pair of top togglearms 50 by trunnion bearings 51 and each pair of top toggle arms 50 isconnected to a top beam 52 by a toggle pin 53. Between each pair of toptoggle arms 50 is a hydraulic cylinder 54 from the sides of whichprotrude the trunnion bearings 51. Within the cylinder 54 is a slidablymounted piston 55 (see FIG. 8) which has a piston rod 56 extending fromthe piston. The piston rod 56 protrudes through a seal 57 at one end ofthe cylinder and then, at a narrower diameter, through the rod end pin45 where it is bolted to the point of the rod end pin furthest away fromthe hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic cylinder 54 is controlled by apump and actuating valves (not shown) which are used to control thepumping of pressurised oil into the cylinder to drive the piston 55 in aknown manner.

The mating clamp 24 has three parallel tie bars 58 (see FIGS. 2 to 4)which are elongate members. The bottom portions of the tie bars areconnected together by a foot bar 60 which is parallel to one side of theblocks 6,22 and is located below the lower manifold block 6 when the twoblocks are connected. The top portions of the three tie bars 58 arereceived by the toggle joint mechanism 39, the three tie bars extendingthrough cylindrical holes 62 in the top beam where nuts 63 prevent thetie bars from falling away from the top beam. The three tie bars alsoextend through cylindrical holes 64 in the pivot pin 38 and the togglepin 53, the pivot pin and the toggle pin both being of larger diametersthan the tie bars. The two outer tie bars also extend through holes 65in the two end brackets 40 and the middle tie bar extends through acylindrical hole 66 in the link member 47.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 16, the process of installing the upper part 3of the connector 1 onto the lower part 2 in sea-water will be described.Although only the operation of one mating clamp 24 will be described,all the mating clamps will operate in the same way simultaneously. Thus,all the hydraulic cylinders 54 of all the mating clamps 24 form a singleset of hydraulics.

Both the upper and the lower manifold blocks 6,22 have fluid conduitsattached (not shown). The spindle valves 17 (see FIG. 2) in both theblocks 6,22 are all initially positioned so as to obturate the ducts 15in the blocks.

Each mating clamp 24 of the upper part 3 is arranged so that the pistonrod 56 is fully extended from the hydraulic cylinder 54. This causes thebottom and top toggle arms 48,50 to be at their greatest angle relativeto the tie bars 58 thus causing the underside of the top beam 52 to benear or engage the top of the end brackets 40 and the side edge 49 ofthe bottom toggle arm 48 to be parallel to and substantially in contactwith the side edge 36 of the top plate 23. This causes the tie bars 58to be inclined in relation to the side of the upper manifold block 22and also has the effect of the foot bar 60 being at its maximum extentfrom the toggle joint mechanism 39. The end brackets 40 are positionedso that the underside of the main body portion of each end bracket is incontact with the head 32 of a respective jacking pin 31 forcing the headinto the hole 34 in the recessed corner 35 and causing the jacking pinsto protrude through the base 81 of the upper manifold block 22.

A retrievable autonomous module 5 (see FIG. 1) including the upper part3 is moved towards the docking module 68 of the support frame 4including the lower part 2. The coned ends 26 (see FIG. 2) of the twolocation pins 25 of the upper manifold block 22 enter the correspondinglocation bores 21 in the lower manifold block 6. These form a secondarylocation device for accurately locating the upper manifold block inrelation to the lower manifold block.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the upper part 3 is lowered until theprotruding jacking pins 31 make contact with the top surface 80 of thelower manifold block 6. The hydraulic cylinder 54, which is part of anactuating mechanism for the toggle joint mechanism, is actuated so as tocause the piston rod 56 to be partially retracted. As the side edge 49of the bottom toggle arm 48 is in engagement with the side edge 36 ofthe top plate 23, the partial retraction causes the end brackets 40 andthe link member 47 (see FIG. 5) to be turned about the pivot pin 38 in aclockwise manner as shown is in FIG. 12. This causes the tie-bars 58,held in the holes 65 of the end brackets and the hole 66 in the linkmember 47, to be swung so that the foot bar 60 is swung beneath thetongues 13 of the bottom plate 8 so that the tongues protrude betweenthe tie bars. Thus, part of the foot bar is overhung by a portion of thelower connector part 2. At the same time the upper manifold block 22,which is connected to the end brackets 40 via the top plate 23 and thepivot pin 38, is lowered relative to the jacking pins 31 the heads 32 ofwhich maintain contact with the underside of the main body portion ofthe corresponding end brackets 40. The lowering action dampens theinstallation of the upper manifold block 22 on the lower manifold block6. The lowering action additionally causes sea-water between the twoblocks 6,22 to be flushed out, thus cleaning the respective contactingsurfaces of the two blocks. Pumps may also be included to provideflushing. The upper manifold block 22 is then brought into contact withthe lower manifold block 6 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.

The bottom protruding portion 41 of the end bracket 40 has a side edge67 (see FIG. 5) which is brought into engagement with the side edge 36of the top plate 23 when the upper manifold block 22 cannot be loweredany further. The hydraulic cylinder 54 continues to retract the pistonrod 56 causing the side edge 49 of the bottom toggle arm 48 to disengagefrom the top plate side edge 36 as the latter is now engaged by thebottom protruding portion 41. This continued retraction causes thebottom toggle arm 48 to turn in an anticlockwise direction about thepivot pin 38. Hence, the hydraulic cylinder 54 with its protrudingtrunnion bearings 51 is brought closer to the rod end pin 45 causing thetop toggle arm 50 to reduce its angle relative to the tie bars 58 as thetie bars slide within the holes 65,66 in the end brackets 40 and thelink member 47. Thus, the top beam 52 is raised lifting the tie bars 58and moving the foot bar 60 towards the base of the plate 8 below thelower manifold block 6.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, when the piston rod 56 cannot be retractedany further the hydraulic cylinder 54 is brought into contact with therod end pin 45 with the result that both the bottom and top toggle arms48,50 are slightly over-centered in relation to the tie arms 58 so as tolock the toggle arms 48,50 into position. This brings the foot bar 60 tobe effectively at its shortest distance from the toggle joint mechanism39 with the top of the foot bar making contact with the base of theplate 8 below the lower manifold block 6 causing the top surface 80 ofthe lower manifold block and the base or bottom surface 81 of the uppermanifold block to mate. Hence, the two parts 2,3 of the connector 1become clamped together to form a fluid seal between them.

The spindle valves 17 (see FIG. 2) in both the upper and the lowermanifold blocks 6,22 can then be rotated so that the through-bores 18can be aligned with the main duct to permit fluid flow through theconnector 1.

To disengage the upper part 3 of the connector 1 from the lower part 2the process is simply reversed. The valves 17 are all positioned so asto obturate the ducts 15. Pressurised liquid is forced into thehydraulic cylinder 54 causing the piston rod 56 to be extended out ofthe cylinder. This causes the bottom and top toggle arms 48,50 to rotateabout the trunnion bearings 51 thus lowering the top beam 52. Themovement of the top beam causes the top of the foot bar 60 to disengagefrom the base of the plate 8 below the lower manifold block 6. Thecontinuing extension of the piston rod 56 causes the foot bar 60 to beswung out from below the lower manifold block 6 and causing the tie bars58 to be inclined in relation to the side of the manifold blocks 6,22.This also causes the jacking pins 31 to protrude through the base of theupper manifold block 22 and push against the top of the lower manifoldblock 6 raising the upper manifold block. The action of the jacking pinsalso gently breaks the sealed connection between the vertical ducts 15in the lower and upper manifold blocks 6,22. The upper part 3 of theconnector 1 is then moved away from the lower part 2.

In a particular modification, as shown in FIG. 17, the location pins 25of the upper manifold block 22 and the associated bores are replaced byanother type of secondary location device. The upper manifold block 22 ahas a tapered locator 70 extending downwardly below the base 81 a fromeach corner and the lower manifold block 6 a has a shaped recess 71 ineach corner of the top surface 80 a to receive a corresponding locator.Each locator 70 has a first tapered surface 72 a on its lowest portionstepping in from a second tapered surface 73 a above and each recess hascorresponding first tapered surface 72 b on the uppermost portion of thelower block 6 stepping in from a second tapered surface 73 b below.Hence, when the upper manifold block is in close proximity to the lowerblock, the first tapered surface of at least one locator engages acorresponding recess. If the two blocks are not quite aligned then thefirst tapered surface 72 a of one locator 70 engages a correspondingfirst tapered surface 72 b of a recess 71 of the lower block 6 a tobring the upper block into partial alignment with the lower block. Asthe upper block is lowered into closer proximity to the lower block, thefirst and second tapered surfaces 72 a,73 a of all the locators 70engage the second and first tapered surfaces 73 b,72 b respectively ofall the recesses thus bringing the two blocks 6 a,22 a into fullalignment.

Whilst a particular embodiment has been described, it will be understoodthat various modifications may be made without departing from the scopeof the invention. For example, the upper and lower parts may be broughttogether by any suitable means. The pedestal may be of any suitableshape.

The mating clamps may be arranged so that they do not all need tooperate simultaneously, such as only a pair of mating clamps, onopposite sides of the connector, being initially operated. Althoughmating clamps are shown on all four sides of a square plan connector,the connector could be rectangular and only have mating clamps on thetwo longest sides or it could triangular and have mating clamps on allthree sides. The connector could also by polygonal in plan with anysuitable number of mating clamps. Each side could have any suitablenumber of hydraulic cylinders and with there being one more tie bar thanthere are hydraulic cylinders. For example, there may be a singlehydraulic cylinder and two tie bars or three hydraulic cylinders andfour tie bars.

Although the spindle valves are operated by ROVs they may be operatedfrom boats or platforms above sea-level or from the shore via anumbilical and internal mechanisms may be provided to operate the valves.Also, any other suitable type of valves may be used to permit or preventflow through the ducts.

Any suitable means may be used to locate the upper part to the lowerpart of the connector. The arrangement of locators and recesses may bearranged, for example, so that each part has both locators and recesses.

While hydraulic cylinders have been referred to, alternative actuatingmeans may be employed such as pneumatic cylinders, electrically poweredactuators etc.

What is claimed is:
 1. A two-part connector (1) for use in connectingand disconnecting fluid carrying conduits comprising first and secondconnector parts (2,3) each having at least one fluid carrying duct (15)therethrough, and a valve member (17) for each duct, the at least oneduct in the first connector part (2) being aligned with the at least oneduct in the second connector part (3) when the two connector parts areconnected together, and releasable clamping means to retain the twoconnector parts together in sealing engagement, said clamping meansbeing mounted on the second connector part (3) and including actuatingmeans (54), characterised by said clamping means including a pluralityof clamping members (24) pivotable relative to the connector and theactuating means (54) operable to move said clamping members, eachclamping member (24 ) comprising first and second components (39,60)joined together by at least one tie bar (58) the first component (39)being pivotally connected to the second connector part (3) by a pivotpin, said clamping members being located in a first position pivotedaway from said connector whilst the two connector parts (2,3) are beingaligned relative to each other, and said actuating means being operableto pivot said clamping members to a second position adjacent saidconnector and then to cause the clamping members to move substantiallylinearly to a third position so that the second component (60) isadapted to engage the first connector part so that the two parts areclamped together in sealing engagement.
 2. A two-part connector asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the first component comprises a toggle jointmechanism (39).
 3. A two-part connector as claimed in claim 2, whereineach tie bar (58) is adapted to effect the clamping action byover-centering of the toggle joint mechanism (39) when the clampingmembers (24) are in the third position.
 4. A two-part connector asclaimed in claim 2, wherein the toggle joint mechanism (39) includes atleast one first arm member (48) pivotally connected to the secondconnector part (3) and to the actuating means (54) and at least onesecond arm member (50) pivotally connected to the actuating means (54)and to the elongate member (58).
 5. A two-part connector as claimed inclaim 4, wherein the first arm member (48) includes an engagementsurface (49) which engages the second connector part (3) so as toprevent pivoting of the first arm member relative to the secondconnector part when the damping member (24) pivots between said firstand second positions and which disengages from the second connector partso as to enable pivoting of the first arm member relative to the secondconnector part when the clamping member moves between said second andthird positions.
 6. A two-part connector as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe first component (39) includes engagement means (40) pivotallyconnected to the actuating means (54) and to the second connector part(3), the engagement means adapted to engage the second connector part toprevent pivoting of the clamping member (24) when the clamping member ismoved between said second and third positions.
 7. A two-part connectoras claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating means (54) is hydraulicallyoperated.
 8. A two-part connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein theactuating means comprises a plurality of pistons and cylinders (54) inwhich at least one piston cylinder, by extending or retracting a pistonrod (56), causes at least one clamping member (24) to be moved betweenthe first, second and third positions.
 9. A two-part connector asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second connector parts (2,3)each have a mating surface (80,81).
 10. A two-part connector as claimedin claim 9, including at least one jacking pin (31) which the actuatingmeans (54) is adapted to act on, the actuating means enabling the atleast one jacking pin to be extended or retracted through the matingsurface (81) from one of said connector parts and the pins being adaptedto make contact with the mating surface (80) of the other of saidconnector parts.
 11. A two-part connector as claimed in claim 9including alignment means (25,21,70,71) for aligning the first andsecond connector parts (2,3) as they engage each other.
 12. A two-partconnector as claimed in claim 11 wherein the alignment means includes aplurality of location pins (25), each said pin extending from the matingsurface (81) from one of said connector parts and being adapted to bereceived in a receiving hole (21) in the mating surface (80) of theother of said connector parts.
 13. A two-part connector as claimed inclaim 11 wherein the alignment means includes a plurality of protusions(70), each protusion extending from a corner of the mating surface (81a) from one of said connector parts and being adapted to be received ina recessed corner (71) of the mating surface (80 a) of the other of saidconnector parts.
 14. A two-part connector as claimed in claim 13,wherein the mating surfaces (80 a,81 a) of the connector parts arerectangular, and at least one pair of opposite corners of the matingsurfaces has said protusions (70) and recessed corners (71).